Japan’s Joint Staff Office (JSO) of the Ministry of Defense has announced that a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) flotilla led by a Type 075 (Yushen-class) landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault ship sailed through the Osumi strait off Kagoshima prefecture towards the Pacific Ocean at the end of June.
According to the JSO, it is the first time that a Type 075 amphibious assault ship (the PLAN’s second largest warship type after its aircraft carriers) is officially reported to be operating in vicinity of the island country.
A spokesperson at the JSO told Naval News on July 4 without divulging details of the previous spotting:
“We had confirmed China’s Type 075 amphibious assault ship before, but it is the first time we officially announced it,”
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ’s P-1 and P-3C maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) as well as Hayabusa-class guided-missile patrol boat JS Shirataka (PG-829) spotted the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Guangxi (32) and the Type 052D (Luyang III-class) destroyer Baotou (133) sailing northeast in area 140 km southwest of the Kusagaki islets of Kagoshima from the East China Sea into the West Pacific by going through the 40 km-wide Osumi Strait, which is located between the Osumi Peninsula and Tanegashima Island, from June 29 to June 30, the JSO said.
In addition, the JMSDF also spotted the Type 054A (Jiangkai II–class) frigate Anyang (599) and the Type 903A (Fuchi-class) replenishment ship Chaohu (890) sailing from the East China Sea through the sea area between Amami Oshima and Yokoate-jima into the same West Pacific region on June 29.
Chinese state media touted the passage of the strait by its large warship.
Global Times, an English-language Chinese newspaper under the People’s Daily, on July 1 published an article headlined “China’s Type 075 amphibious assault ship spotted breaking island chain from straits south of Japan for first time.”
It said as follows.
“This is apparently the first time that a Type 075 amphibious assault ship has crossed Japan’s surrounding straits into the West Pacific for training, and also the first time that the Guangxi, the second hull of the Type 075, has broken the first island chain for exercise after the Hainan, the first hull of Type 075, went out of the island chain from the South China Sea earlier this year.”
According to Janes Defence Weekly, the Type 075 displaces about 35,000 tonnes and has an overall length of about 235 meters. The vessel has six helicopter landing spots on its through-deck flight deck and it can embark about 30 helicopters in total. In addition, the vessel is equipped with a well deck for amphibious landing operations.
As previously reported by Naval News, the PLAN commissioned Guangxi, or its second Type 075 vessel, in December 2021, and Anhui, or the third vessel, in September 2022 respectively.
With the advent of its Type 075 class, the PLAN will have a credible amphibious assault capability against Taiwan.
